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Food Stamps Are About to Get Cut by $5 Billion

On Friday, the food stamp program—aka SNAP—will get an automatic $5 billion budget cut, as a piece of the stimulus act that had boosted monthly benefits finally expires. Families will see their aid clipped by about 5 percent on average, or roughly $36 a month for a family of four who receives the maximum benefit, as shown in the graph below from the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities.

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What difference does those cuts make? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's thrifty meal plan, $36 is just about enough to feed an adult woman for a week. SNAP isn't the only food assistance program out there; children can get free and reduced prices lunches at school, for instance. But the point is that even small-sounding cuts to the safety net can have a big impact on the needy.